Villar promoted as Astros discard Pena, Cedeno

The Astros’ $21 million experiment was never going to work. No matter how many times the rebuilding organization’s main voices ignored baseball reality while pointing toward the 2012 American League West champion Oakland Athletics and saying, “Hey, that can be us in 2013.” No matter how nice a six-game winning streak that bridged May with June — when the Astros were the hottest team in baseball and finally appeared on “SportsCenter” for something other than ridicule — briefly was.

Right now, the Astros are again the worst team in Major League Baseball. Thirty-one games below .500 after being blown out 12-5 by Seattle on Sunday at Minute Maid Park; outscored by a combined 155 runs this season; 231/2 games behind the first-place A’s; on pace for 107 defeats after losing 213 contests the last two years; dead and discarded again before Aug. 1.

With Sunday’s sudden promotion of shortstop prospect Johnathan Villar and underperforming veterans Carlos Pena and Ronny Cedeno being designated for assignment, the Astros’ $21 million payroll experiment is finally over. It began with analysts and critics questioning how a mix-and-match roster filled with unproven second-tier young players and late-career veterans affected the integrity of the sport. It ended as a late-July failure. A directionless team that exited the field Sunday ranked last in MLB in everything from ERA (4.92) and offensive strikeouts (900) to defensive efficiency ratio (.674) at last moved into its next era by erasing Pena and Cedeno and promoting its second legit prospect in just nine days.

Even more critical numbers: Righthanded starting pitcher Jarred Cosart is 23, and Villar is 22, while Pena was the Astros’ biggest offseason free-agent signing and second-highest-paid player ($2.9 million).

Now, the Astros are cheaper and technically weaker. They also instantly have become much more interesting and exciting.

Cosart threw eight-plus brilliant innings of two-hit shutout ball in his big league debut at Tampa Bay on July 12, outdueling reigning American League Cy Young winner David Price and again putting the Astros in the lead spot on “SportsCenter.” Villar hit .278 with eight home runs, 41 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and a .786 OPS at Class AAA Oklahoma City. The switch hitter possesses a cannon of an arm and has smooth feet, and he could team up in the middle of the Astros’ infield with 23-year-old second baseman Jose Altuve until 2012 No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa arrives in Houston.

Hitting fast-forward

Two months ago, Villar and Cosart weren’t supposed to put on an Astros uniform until September, when minor league promotions occur as losing teams evaluate next year’s crop. Sunday, the Astros again jump-started their rebuild and immediately named Villar the starting shortstop, despite his being kept at OKC when Marwin Gonzalez was demoted and Jake Elmore was called up less than a month ago.

“(Villar’s) up here for a reason,” Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “He’s been a shortstop his entire life, and we feel like he has a chance to be a very good starting shortstop on a championship-caliber team.”

Additionally, Villar and Cosart were promoted and Pena and Cedeno designated for assignment because this year’s Astros were increasingly looking like the 2012 version — which was painfully similar to the 2011 lot.

Since owner Jim Crane purchased Houston’s longest-standing pro sports team in November 2011 and Luhnow was named GM that December, all the Astros have mostly done is lose badly at the major league level while revamping everything from the insides of the organization to a much-improved farm system. Promoting Villar and Cosart likely won’t dramatically change big league wins and losses in 2013, and those two are just the initial names who will set up a wave of prospects like George Springer, Jonathan Singleton, Mike Foltynewicz and Mark Appel.

“It’s tough to see,” rookie outfielder Brandon Barnes said of Sunday’s cuts. “These are your brothers, and these are guys you spend more time with than your family.”

Nine days before the non-waiver trade deadline and with the 2013 Astros inching closer toward becoming the first team in major league history with three consecutive No. 1 overall draft picks, Luhnow made one of his boldest moves to date. Veterans filling up competitive space and receiving premium major league playing time were eliminated from the equation. Villar was recalled, giving the Astros an intriguing prospect to play with four everyday starters 26 or younger: catcher Jason Castro, third baseman Matt Dominguez, designated hitter/first baseman/outfielder Chris Carter and Altuve.

More changes possible

Deals before the deadline could again shake up the Astros. Pitchers Bud Norris and Lucas Harrell have long been left hanging, while no one on the club’s active 25-man roster is untouchable. More prospects are coming. But this is already official: A confusing $21 million experiment is over, and the Astros have finally moved closer toward developing and evaluating a collection of major leaguers who could actually be around in 2015.

“Everybody sees it coming. It’s about to be an exciting time for a lot of people around this organization,” starting pitcher Jordan Lyles said. “And fans, they’re about to see a lot of guys that they read about and don’t necessarily see on TV too much. These guys are going to come up here, and they’re going to have their chances, and we’re going to be young, and we’re going to be exciting.”